ARIA’S POV
The car pulled up to the familiar apartnt building in Chinatown, and Aria felt a mixture of nervousness and excitent flutter in her stomach. Sunday dinner with her mother. The first ti Damien would be eting i Chen properly, not as the grateful woman whose life he’d saved, but as Aria’s mother....the woman whose approval mattered almost as much as Richard Blackwood’s.
She glanced at the backseat and couldn’t help but laugh. Bags and boxes filled every available space....expensive designer handbags, premium supplents, gourt food items, wines that probably cost more than her mother’s monthly rent.
"You know you don’t have to co with all these things," Aria said, smiling at Damien. "She only wants to properly et you. And here you are buying out the entire mall."
Damien pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "I am eting your mother for the first ti, Aria. Of course I have to show her that I am capable of taking care of you."
"She already knows that, Damien. You literally saved her life. You don’t need to try hard to prove it again."
Damien touched her face gently, his thumb brushing across her cheekbone. "But I still want to do it, Aria. Let show her. Let prove to her that her daughter chose soone worthy."
Aria’s heart lted a little at the vulnerability beneath his words. This powerful, ruthless CEO was nervous about eting her mother. Wanted her mother’s approval. Wanted to prove himself worthy.
"I think it’s best that we go inside now," she said softly. "She ssaged five minutes ago asking when we’ll be getting here. If we make her wait much longer, she’ll start worrying."
They got out of the car, and Damien opened the backseat and began pulling out the nurous bags and boxes, handing so to Aria.
"This is too much," Aria protested even as she accepted the bags. "Damien, seriously, she’s going to think you’re trying to buy her approval."
"I’m not trying to buy anything. I’m showing respect. There’s a difference."
They made their way to the building entrance, Aria leading the way. The building was old but well-maintained, nothing like the luxury of the Blackwood estate, but it had been ho for most of Aria’s life.
Aria unlocked the door with her own key and pushed it open. "Mama! We’re here!"
The apartnt slled amazing...garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and all the familiar scents of her mother’s cooking. i Chen erged from the kitchen carrying plates, clearly in the middle of setting the table. Her face broke into a radiant smile when she saw Aria.
"Aria!" She set down the plates and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "Baby, how are you?"
"I’m good, Mama. I’ve missed you."
Damien stood back, observing the interaction, and he imdiately understood where Aria had gotten her features. i Chen looked like an older version of her daughter.....the sa delicate bone structure, the sa warm eyes, the sa graceful movents. She was in her early fifties but looked younger, her face still smooth despite the years of hard work.
i pulled away from the hug and turned her attention to Damien. Her smile remained warm, but Damien could see the assessnt in her eyes. The way a mother looked at a man who was involved with her daughter asuring and judging to determine if he was worthy.
"And you, young man, must be Damien."
Damien stood straighter, feeling oddly like a teenager eting his girlfriend’s parents for the first ti. He extended his hand formally. "Good evening, ma’am. And yes, I am Damien. It’s an honor to finally et you properly."
i looked at Damien’s outstretched hand and smiled. She didn’t shake it. Instead, she pulled him into a warm hug that caught him completely off guard.
"We don’t do handshakes here, young man," she said as she embraced him."
She pulled away and looked up at him....she was significantly shorter than Damien.....and her expression was warm but knowing.
"And since Aria brought you ho, you must be important to her." She paused, her eyes searching his face. "Very important."
"She’s important to as well, ma’am."
i’s smile widened. "Good answer. Now....." she turned to Aria, "....co help set up the table. Let’s have dinner." She looked back at Damien. "And you, young man, please take your seat. Make yourself comfortable."
Both won disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Damien alone in the small living room.
He took the opportunity to look around, to see the space where Aria had grown up. The apartnt was small....probably a quarter of the size of his bedroom at the estate....but it was immaculately clean and filled with warmth. Family photos covered one wall, showing Aria at various ages....as a baby, as a child in school uniforms, as a teenager receiving academic awards.
He moved closer to examine them. Aria at what looked like five years old, missing her front teeth but grinning widely. Aria at maybe ten, holding up a science fair trophy. Aria at her high school graduation, wearing her cap and gown with i beaming beside her.
There was also a dedicated section of the wall displaying dals and certificates....academic achievent awards, science competition wins, scholarship notifications. Evidence of the brilliant mind that had eventually infiltrated his ho and stolen his heart.
He found himself smiling at a baby picture of Aria....all chubby cheeks and innocent eyes, completely unaware that she’d grow up to beco the most complicated, infuriating, wonderful woman he’d ever known.
"She was a beautiful baby, wasn’t she?"
Damien turned to find i watching him from the kitchen doorway.
"She was. She still is."
"That picture was taken when she was six months old. She rarely cried. Just watched everything with those big curious eyes. I knew even then that she was going to be special."
"She is special."
i nodded, satisfied with his answer, and returned to the kitchen.
Damien moved to the dining table....a small wooden piece that was maybe five tis smaller than the one at his estate. Four chairs, simple place settings, nothing fancy or elaborate. But it felt like ho in a way his grand dining room never had.
He sat down, feeling strangely out of place in his expensive suit and Italian leather shoes. This world was so different from his own. It looked and feels too.....simple.
Aria erged from the kitchen carrying dishes, and when she saw him sitting there, she smiled....warm and genuine and completely unguarded. She set down the dishes and bent to give him a quick kiss.
"Comfortable?" she asked softly.
"Very."
She smiled again and returned to the kitchen, and Damien heard the murmur of conversation between mother and daughter. But he couldn’t make out the words.
A few minutes later, both won erged with the remaining dishes. The table was soon filled with food....dumplings, stir-fried vegetables, stead fish, rice, and at least five other dishes that slled incredible.
"Mama, this is too much food," Aria protested as she set down the last plate. "There’s only three of us."
"I wanted to make sure Damien got to try everything," i said, taking her seat. "Besides, you can take leftovers ho."
They settled around the table, i at the head, Aria and Damien on either side. For a mont, there was just the sound of dishes being passed, food being served, the comfortable ritual of a family al.
"So, Damien," i said as she placed food on his plate....more than he could possibly eat. "Aria tells you run Blackwood Enterprises. That’s a very successful company."
"Thank you, ma’am.
"Aria also ntioned your grandfather approved of her. That ans a lot, doesn’t it? His approval?"
"It ans everything. My grandfather raised after my parents died. Damien replied.’’
They ate in comfortable conversation after that.
When Aria ntioned that she was returning to dicine, i’s face lit up with genuine joy.
"I’m so glad, baby. You were ant to be a doctor Aria. Corporate work never suited you i responded and smiled at her daughter."
"Damien supported the decision," Aria said, glancing at him. "Even though it ans I won’t be at his office anymore."
"Of course he supports it," i said, looking at Damien with approval. "A man who truly loves a woman wants her to be fulfilled, not dependent. Right, young man?"
"Right. Aria’s happiness ans a lot to "
"Another good answer. You’re doing well so far."
Despite the seriousness of the assessnt, Damien found himself relaxing. i reminded him of his grandmother....direct but kind, assessing but fair. And clearly, deeply protective of her daughter.
The al continued, and Damien found himself actually enjoying the simple family dynamic. No servants. No formal protocols. Just three people sharing a al and conversation.
When they finished eating, Aria stood to clear the table, and i gently touched her arm.
"Leave it for now, baby. I want to have a discussion with Damien. Why don’t you take the dishes to the kitchen first and give us a few minutes?"
Aria looked at her mother, then at Damien, her expression uncertain. i gave her a knowing smile, and Aria nodded slowly.
"Okay, Mama. But please....go easy on him."
"I’m always gentle," i said innocently.
Aria gathered the dishes, gave Damien an encouraging look, and disappeared into the kitchen.
The air in the dining room shifted. The warmth remained, but underneath it was sothing more serious. More important.
i turned her full attention to Damien, and he felt the weight of a mother’s assessnt settle over him like a physical thing.
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